


The Lingering Moment

by Tenkage



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, First Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23419723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tenkage/pseuds/Tenkage
Summary: Rain pattered on his head, matting the tangled blonde hair and heavy fur of his mantle. Dimitri scarcely noticed, focused entirely on the small, pale hands clasped around his own. He could only faintly feel their heat through his gauntlets, and yet that small warmth penetrated far beyond the steel.An expansion of the rain scene in the Blue Lions path.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 4
Kudos: 119





	The Lingering Moment

"Your hands are... so warm... Have they always been?"

Rain pattered on his head, matting the tangled blonde hair and heavy fur of his mantle. Dimitri scarcely noticed, focused entirely on the small, pale hands clasped around his own. He could only faintly feel their heat through his gauntlets, and yet that small warmth penetrated far beyond the steel.

All this time she'd been beside him, and yet only now did he finally recognize her. This small, beautiful woman who had so kindly guided him what felt like a lifetime ago. Her gentle smile was like daybreak through the clouds. He'd been starved of it for over five years- even feared it, when she'd miraculously returned to his life. Knowing how weak it made him. As if that small act could undo all his resolve in a heartbeat.

...So why was it such a relief to see it now?

Byleth sniffled, smile unrelenting. Was it the storm? Or was it more than the rain that made her eyes shimmer so? The lump in his throat grew painful. He'd thrown so much away in pursuit of his goal, to satisfy the wailing dead that haunted his every step. It would be a betrayal to turn from them now, just as his survival at Duscur had been. He'd been particularly cruel to her, vainly hoping to drive her away and abandon him to his fate. As if in some warped way he could protect her from the dangers of his path. And yet, she had stayed... Before the radiance of Byleth's smile, the voices quieted.

Thunder roared and flashed overhead, breaking the moment. Byleth started, stepping into his space unconsciously. A day ago- an hour ago- he would've retreated from the intrusion. Desperate to distance himself from the things that made him feel human.

He did not. If anything, he wanted her closer. Clutching to her hands and pulling them to his chest. The rain came harder, and she said something about getting out of the storm. Her hands squeezed his as she lead him from the stables. Their warmth thawing his frozen figure. Silently he complied, ready to let her lead him wherever she might. Transfixed by the comfort her kindness provided. He knew he shouldn't. That he didn't deserve what she was offering. It was selfish of him, unforgivable... But he did not let go.

She had told him to forgive himself... And he dared to hope, as she wove them through the raindrops, that wanting this... wanting _her_... Could be forgiven as well.

The Knight's Hall was closest.

She could have lead him back into the main building itself, but something told Byleth that Dimitri didn't need for anyone else to see him like this. Vulnerable and shaken. She guided him as if leading a nervous steed, with gentle encouragement and soft-spoken words. As if he might bolt, if she moved too quickly. His hand never released hers, and he plodded behind on heavy steps. Like his burdens had manifested as physical weight.

The hall was empty. Not unexpected, they'd only just returned from Gronder, and Garreg Mach had been emptied of all available soldiers. Not even a fire had been left burning. Something she would have to fix.

Delicate, she brought Dimitri to the small lounge. Only daring to release her grip when she was certain he wouldn't flee. His fingers chased after hers as they fell away, reluctant to let her go. Reassuring, she brought the steel digits back into her grasp, his gaze following their hands. Grasping his wrists when their eyes finally met, though his solitary blue orb fell away again just as quickly. Byleth tugged once, softly, looking for permission. When Dimitri did not resist, she pulled on the steel of his gauntlet. The plated leather stubbornly resistant to her efforts due to the rain it had already absorbed. Eventually, the gauntlet came free. Byleth dropping it on the small table before the fireplace.

She began working on the second, when he did something. Turning the palm of his exposed hand upwards as if it were alien to him, then reaching out again for her own. Hesitating over her knuckles as she freed his other hand. With both gauntlets discarded, Byleth turned her focus to Dimitri's face. Watching him carefully as she pressed their palms together. He hadn't met her eyes again, but there was a look of dazed wonder about him. She wove their fingers together, clasping gently. Dimitri's skin was damp and cold, sending a twinge of regret through her. Slowly, his fingers curled down in kind, returning the gesture. She squeezed once, smiling.

"Do you think you can remove your cloak for me?" She encouraged gently. "It won't do for you to catch cold, after all this."

He seemed to hesitate, as if unwilling to release their hands. After a moment though, he obeyed mutely. Discarding the heavy wolfskin cape worn over his armor. As he unfastened the garment, Byleth took the opportunity to look for wood and flint. Logs had been stacked both in and beside the fireplace, but there was nothing to start it with. She resorted to magic instead, igniting a tiny fireball atop the kindling and keeping it there until the flames could support themselves.

The room was dimly illuminated by the crackling orange glow, contrasting the somber gray brought on by the rain. The sudden feeling of heat made Byleth aware of the chill settling upon her, shivering in her heavy coat. With little thought, she discarded it. Collecting Dimitri's cloak and hanging the rain-heavy garments by the mantle to dry.

The prince had dropped himself onto one of the couches, head hung low and water dripping from his golden tresses. His good eye shadowed. Byleth choked with emotion, it genuinely hurt to see him like this. Once so proud and noble, brought low by grief and isolation. Fallen to a wretched path without companionship or even proper food. He'd been neglecting himself even worse than he had others. She hadn't missed the scars hiding underneath his gauntlets. How many more were beneath his armor, she wondered? How many wounds hadn't she been there to heal or treat? Scanning the chamber, Byleth saw only the small throws left on the sofas as an option.

Unhesitating, Byleth snatched the throws. Dropping one across her own shoulders before doing the same for Dimitri. "Sorry, these aren't the best to dry you off." She crooned, taking care not to startle him. Drying his hair with gentle motions. "But it's better than nothing."

Feeling his hands take hold of her wrists, gentle and pleading, she stopped. Concerned, she let the prince guide her to the seat beside him. He was unable to meet her eyes, worrying her it might be too much for him.

"Dimitri...?"

"...Why."

His voice was so soft as to nearly be imperceptible. Clenching her hands as if afraid of loosing their sensation, trembling. "Why do you stay with me? I don't... I've been nothing but cruel to you... I've done nothing to deserve your kindness! Nothing... I..."

His words choked, the heat of tears stinging his ruined eye. "I am a wretch... A monster, capable only of murder. My sins are too numerous to be forgiven... So why?! How can you show me such care and compassion? I do not deserve it ...!"

Dimitri's grip shook, his vision wavered. Byleth blurred before him, her face expressionless as ever. Hot tears threatened, the voices of the dead clamoring in the back of his mind. Determined to drag him back-

Then a hand cupped the back of his head, tugging him down to rest beside her neck. She smelled of rain and sky, and the faintly floral scent of her hair that yet lingered. Soothing him, quieting the voices that bubbled within. Leaving the steady drumbeat of his heart in his ears over the fire's crackling or the persistent hiss of the rain outside. It was... comfortable. Warm... 

"...Before I came to Garreg Mach, my world was gray." Byleth spoke softly, stroking his hair through the now-damp throw. "Like fog enshrouded everything around me, I could never really see things completely. Not even my own feelings... But that changed, when I met you, Dimitri."

She was smiling. He couldn't see if from his rest along her collarbone, but he could feel it. Hear it in the gentle cadence of her voice. It was the sun, shining its warmth from overhead. It thawed his resistance, and Dimitri relaxed against her, placated. His arms rose with reluctance, still clad in his armor. He expected her to pull away, but Byleth didn't even flinch at the touch of cold metal. With a shaking sigh, he settled his arms about her waist.

"You were... like a flame. Burning the mist away, and igniting others along my path... You were so much more than my student. You brought color into my world, Dimitri. You stayed by my side and supported me, even through the loss of my father..."

The hand soothing his neck was reassuring and tender. Her gentle scent giving a sense of calm such as he hadn't known in ages. At that moment, he could've fallen asleep in her arms, and slept as peacefully as had in the days before Duscur.

"And I... failed you."

Her hand stilled. Dimitri became distinctly aware of the faint shiver she exuded. The arms about his head tightening. His good eye shot open, astonished. Was she... crying?

"When I found you... at the monastery..." Byleth's voice trembled, face obscured by hair and fabric. "It was like... you'd gone gray. Like you'd been swallowed up by the haze you'd saved me from. Because... I wasn't there.

"So many years, Dimitri... It's my fault you suffered so much. I should've been with you, but I..."

She heaved in his arms. Deep, calming breaths. Before the hand in his hair resumed its gentle stroke. "I can't... undo the last five years... But I can stay with you now. That's what I decided, when I found you that day. After all you had done for me, how you stayed by my side- so I would remain by yours."

Byleth's breathing steadied, tilting back so she could meet Dimitri's eye. He shut it tightly with tearful awe, which a tender thumb of hers swept aside. "I will never leave you, Dimitri." She smiled. "Not ever again. No matter how you, or even death itself tried to drive me away... I will not let you suffer alone."

More tears came, spilling even from beneath his covered eye and over her pale fingers. Dimitri's breathing was choked with sobs, the arms around Byleth trapping her tightly against his chest. His gaze was reverent, approaching faster than the former professor had time to react to.

" _Byleth-!_ "

The kiss caught her completely off guard. Dimitri's lips smashed against hers, leaving her breathless and dumbstruck. If not for the heat of the fire, the distant rain and thunder, she'd have mistaken the frozen moment for one of her pulses. The tension in her gut closely resembling those instances when she forced time to halt and reverse. But after a breath, she calmed. Letting his crushing grip ease into a proper embrace. He needed this, she told herself. He was starved for kindness, for affection. No matter how self-inflicted, Dimitri's suffering had gone on for far too long. She had been earnest, when she had confessed to choosing to stay at his side. And if this was what he needed, she would freely give it. He was her light, the center of her world.

And yet...

As she softened to him, a deep warmth filled her chest. His hands slithering up her back to brush the bare skin of her shoulders, sending sweet tingles skittering across her skin. Dimitri's lips gentled and slanted over her own, a sound of approval bubbling up from within her. Something hot and moist slid across her bottom lip, begging entry. Bemused by the feelings he was invoking within her, Byleth acquiesced.

The wet slide of Dimitri's tongue into her mouth made her shudder, melting entirely against him. The hands that delicately cupped his face weaving into his hair, pulling his mouth insistently closer. Making it easier for his strong arms to crush her against the hardness of his chest. It was clumsy and inelegant, neither of them experienced. Too much teeth, their noses bumping awkwardly.

But it was bliss.

As if all the world had disappeared, save for Dimitri. Heat pooled within her in fierce response to his continued kiss. To the hands slowly wandering down her back, skirting beneath the fabric of her waistband. The way his tongue swirled and danced with hers. His mouth released her with a wet click, and she chased after. Prolonging the wonderful sweetness of the moment.

Dulled in romantic haze, they shared a shuddering breath as they broke apart. Byleth stared into the handsome face of her former student, the morality of their positions completely discarded. His visible eye lidded with passion and tender affection that made the pulse in her veins race. His giant hand cupped her face, grazing her kiss-swollen lips with a calloused thumb. She was vaguely aware of the fire crackling nearby, over their shared panting. He was so close... searching for something in her face she didn't and couldn't identify. Byleth's only thought was how soft Dimitri's lips had felt, her eyes drifting down to them. Catching her staring, he licked them in anticipation.

Was he leaning closer? Or was she? As their lips joined again, Byleth found she didn't really care. Letting him steal the breath from her, his hand pressed firmly into her back. His tongue delving inside as if trying desperately to puzzle out her true taste. Supporting her effortlessly as he began to ease her backwards. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she acknowledged what was happening. Questioning if it was really right for them to do this, while Dimitri was still so raw and vulnerable. Her only answer was to chant his name in her thoughts, over and over. She would give him anything- whatever he asked, whatever he needed. The rest of the world be damned, because to her, Dimitri was... he was...

"...ness? Your highness??"

Dedue's voice cracked the spell like a thunderbolt, restoring them to reality. Dimitri jumped back with a gasp, Byleth still panting from his ministrations. He flushed red, both of them acutely aware of how she was straddling him. Dedue's voice still calling from somewhere outside, Dimitri began to glance about as if in search of an escape. He had yet to release her, though, pulling her tightly into his chest. Ignoring her own shame at losing herself so easily, Byleth steadied her breathing.

"Don't." She assured him with her smile, smoothing back his hair so she might drop a light kiss on his forehead. "We were emotional and overwhelmed, and I was just as much a part of it as you. So please don't blame yourself or think you forced anything on me I didn't want."

His tension eased at that, his eye daring to meet hers again. She nodded in acknowledgement, gently extracting herself from Dimitri's arms. She ignored the part of her that noticed his reluctance to let go, and lifted her voice to Dedue's call. "In here!"

The big Duscur man was immensely relieved to find his liege unharmed. Understandable, given the state Byleth had found him in. Dimitri also seemed to have returned his senses, not arguing in the slightest as his retainer fussed, and pulled him to his feet. Insistent on a hot meal and bath to combat the remaining chill of the rain.

"You should do the same, professor." Dedue offered brusquely. "I am grateful to you for caring for him, but it will avail us little, should you take ill."

"I will, I promise." Byleth smiled weakly, gathering her coat alongside Dimitri's cloak and gauntlets to follow the taller men.

As Dedue was ushering them out of the Knight's Hall, she caught a final, fluttering look from Dimitri. A look that made her insides tighten in both confusion and hopeful delight. It had only been for Dimitri. Because he needed to feel something beyond grief and self-loathing. Another's warmth and care. Another's kindness, offered without rebuke or thought of repayment. That had been her reasoning... initially.

But she stopped in her tracks at that look, tender and pleading. Promising more of what had transpired between them. She touched a hesitant finger to her lips, still stinging pleasantly. Was it only for Dimitri's sake? The memory of his kiss still stirred the embers of something within her. A powerful want that had surprised her with its intensity, enough to make her question if the feelings she had were truly hers.

His last look lingered with her, haunting... Maybe... her care and affection for him went deeper than even she realized. Maybe... Maybe she...

Dedue and Dimitri's steps echoed ahead, giving Byleth a much needed moment of privacy. She clutched the heavy fur of Dimitri's cloak to her chest, trembling with the weight of her realization. It hadn't dried, not completely, so it would hide the tears...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! Just a little teaser, for you. Personally, I'm not a very good Dimileth writer. I have difficulty identifying from the character's perspectives. This was just a little one-shot I came up with as some practice for that, and it came out half-decent. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> And for those of you wondering, I have considered expanding this scene. After all, who’s to say this couldn’t have just as easily turned into sex in front of the fire? Alas, I have no talent for smut, my prose is too repetitive. Doesn’t mean you thirsty folks can’t have fun with the idea, though!


End file.
